Daughter Of The Water
by Cella N
Summary: ”It's been almost two years now. Still sure you can keep up?” SAKURA. On how the weak can get stronger, if they have ambition.


**Spoilers:** set pre-shippuuden.  
**A/N:** Introspective Sakura drabble, pre-Shippuuden. Feels like I've only written gibberish, but bear with me as I get back into my fanfic writing phase.

**Daughter Of The Water**  
_Ever she flows  
Like a veil undeciphered  
~Treble Charger_

Morning has always been a favourite time of hers. Contrary to popular belief, Rock Lee was not the only insane person in Konoha to wake up inhumanly early and run laps around the secret village. Quite surprisingly, the second one was Haruno Sakura; though her exercise was more precise and thorough than Lee's, thanks, partly, to her chakra control.

Each morning, or if you could call it that, Sakura would rise before the sun did, and make herself a cup of tea. As five in the morning drew close and the sun began to wink over the village of Konoha, she would equip herself fully, and leave her house. The air was always crisp and fresh during summer and spring, and even autumn at times. She'd walk for a few minutes, just until she reached the training grounds. Then her gloves would slip on, and she'd launch herself quickly to the branch of a tree, then another, and another. She'd run from tree to tree until the whole forest was covered, and then she'd take it to the buildings and the rooftops.

At the beginning, civilians kept complaining about waking up to the sound of someone running on the outer walls of their buildings, steps heavy like an elephant. They'd taken the complaint to the Hokage, who had dismissed them with an explanation that it was her apprentice's most vital training, and that, if they ever wanted to be healed by apt medic-nin, they should bear it and buy earplugs. That week the Konoha apothecary registered its highest sale on earplugs since Tsunade herself had been twelve years old.

Nowadays, no-one complained anymore. Rather, it had started to form part of the Konoha traditions. The bakers opened shops at six in the morning, the smell of coffee invaded the streets at six-thirty, Ichiraku Ramen had its highest clientèle when Naruto was in town; and each morning, sharp and predictable like the sunrise, the sounds of someone running on the rooftops of Konoha would be heard at quarter past six.

To be completely honest, a public survey had shown that more than half the population of Konoha never expected Haruno Sakura to raise above genin rank, and that a startling 25% expected her to stand waiting for the return of a certain Uchiha traitor, and prepare for her inevitable introduction to motherhood that would follow. A select few had hopes that she'd at least take the chuunnin exam once, and only three people believed that she'd make it past it—for the sake of anonymity, their names will remain unknown. Let it never be said that she was predictable.

Every morning as she ran, Sakura thought. It'd been a year and a half since Naruto left, and almost the same time since Kakashi did. It felt like yesterday only, she'd been accepted under Tsunade's tutelage, and it felt like eternity since Kakashi had chosen to take care of the boys' training over hers. She thought about that way too often; at first, her reaction had been to heavily dislike her former sensei for discarding her so easily on principle of being a bloodline-less, average girl. Now, she was grateful. If Kakashi had taught her anything back then, chances were that she'd have never gained that desire to do more. To be greater. Chances were she'd have stopped at chuunin, after years and years of training; chances were she'd have ended up dying in a mission with a rank higher than she could deal with.

But things weren't like that.

She was Tsunade's apprentice. She had the best chakra control between people her age that were not Uchiha. She knew as many ways of healing people as she knew ways of hurting them, all with her own bare hands. She'd done that, alone and unguided. No-one had told her to seek Tsunade. No-one made her talk to Kurenai at least once each week to remind her that as soon as her training under the Hokage terminated, she'd be counting on her to teach her proper genjutsu techniques; and yet she did it all the same. Sakura knew her strength and weaknesses now.

She had grown a lot in the aspect.

She was aware of how her looks could deceive people into thinking she was weak, and knew how to use that to her advantage. So maybe she was not Naruto, or Sasuke; maybe she had no special techniques, or bloodlines; maybe she had no tragic past.

But she had a goal.

The next time, she'd save them. She'd show them that she was as much part of Team 7 as they were; that she needed no protection; that she was no burden. That they should be proud of having her on their team, for she would one day surpass the current Tsunade in skill.

She had ambition. She had drive. She was not average because she'd been born normal; she was unique, because she had surpassed her averageness and climbed towards her mightiness. Like water, she flowed through life, eroding away at the obstacles, one by one. She learned. Slowly, but surely, she learned, and got better. She adapted, and changed. She got angry, and was calm. She gave life, and took it. She would be unstoppable, one day.

Every morning, at eight, Sakura finished her laps on the balcony of the Hokage tower. There, Tsunade would be waiting, a proud glint in her eyes. "It's been almost two years now. Sure you're still able to keep up, kid?" she would ask. And Sakura, daughter of the water, would always answer:

"Yes."


End file.
